I know how to crack welds on Boss-V plow

Unfortunately I found a manhole cover on Thursday. There is two drives I have that only have a base layer of asphalt down. Each one has 3 manhole covers about 1 inch above the level of the asphalt. I complained about them this fall when I saw the problems they were going to present. The project manager had the Asphalt company come in and ramp around them all. I don't think they used any tackcoat because after the first time I plowed half of them had the asphalt tear up around the manhole covers. I just had to be careful after that. But after a 3 week stretch of no snow I forgot about one of them. I wasn't going very fast, but fast enough to tweek my one cutting edge. (I was in the scoop position and only hit one side) Luckily the cutting edge took most of the damage. It ever so slightly tweeked that side of the plow. Also I was lucky that these cutting edges were almost wore out and I had a new set in the garage. I have been checking my center pivot (thanks to your guy's heads up) all year. Well this manhole cover was enough to crack the weld on the bottom pivot point. It could have been worse, but it sure ruined my day.

I am sorry, that was a little strong. I think that my comment is more directed at the boss engineers than anything else. That type of hit is exactly why full trip doesnt work on that plow. And to add insult to injury, the plow cracks to boot. Now 10 yrs ago boss was the only option, so kudos to you for being cutting edge at the time.
Now in this type of hit, the u edge would have abosrobed most if not all the impact and left the coffee in the cup holder, and the plow in un harmed.
Sorry if I offended anyone, not my intent.
Dino

I am not the biggest and I am not the best but I fall somewhere comfortably in between.

Cant say as to western frame failures, havent seen any yet. I have heard alot about those great boss plows cracking tho.
Did read alot posts about bad paint on westerns, maybe you confused the two topics.
Anyway, I have been over many a man hole cover and catch basis with the trip edge v plow with a stel edge, and still makes for a bumpy ride. But with the impact absorbing nature of the u thane edge, its alot easier on the truck and plow.
Dino

I am not the biggest and I am not the best but I fall somewhere comfortably in between.

Chances are that, if you're seeing cracked welds, it was not the result of one severe impact. A gross overload of a structural joint weld is more apt to produce tearing of the base metal at the root of the weld. Cracked welds, where the adjoiing sections are not displaced, are normally the result of repeated stress (fatigue), in this case the vibration from normal plowing. The crack will usually start where the weld stopped, in the "crater" at the end of the bead. If the welder (human) or the robot didn't or wasn't programmed to fill the crater it is a prime spot for a stress raiser and incipient weld failure. Cracks that originate at the start of a weld can often be traced to lack of fusion where the base metal was cold at the start. Both problems can be traced back to improper welding procedures.

And Dino is right, using urethane edges will greatly cut down on the severity of plow impacts. I was really surprised at how much of the normal vibration the urethane eliminates and how many less trips you get overall.